Supernatural 13x01 Apartment 4D
by RocknRoll 0408
Summary: Sam and Dean are back! This short story (or episode) is one of many. From the prespective of an innocent female adult who gets caught up in the supernatural world of the Winchesters. Mini episodes are set during Season 13, but I will be exploring my version of the past. Mostly everything is true from the show seasons 1-current, but there are a few changes. Rated M just in case.
1. Break In

Disclaimer- I own no rights to Supernatural, the plot is my own, obviously you know which characters are mine and which are the "real deal." Please read and enjoy!

 **Break In.**

Riley awoke from another nightmare, her labored breathing the only sound echoing around the room. She reached to her right, flicking on the small nightlight on the nightstand. She sat up and looked around, trying to relax her mind and body as she grasped her surroundings. Just her normal apartment, the decorative posters and wall art strategically placed on the four walls, the two dressers sitting against the far wall and the walk-in closet closed as it always was during the night.

Still, the room seemed to carrying an uneasiness to it, a creepy feeling, a creepy almost chilling feeling. The same feeling she had the last few nights. With a heavy sigh she got out of bed to retrieve a glass of water. She should've gotten a pet, a dog or cat certainly would've nice for this kind of thing. She was supposed to have her boyfriend but due to an unfortunate accident he wasn't with her. Standing at the sink she tightened her hand around her glass, trying to forget about the lost of her boyfriend. Conner Her love, her future partner, her parents favorite person outside of their immediate family.

The car accident had a been a freak event, he had just gotten his car checked. He was supposed to be on his way to the store from the apartment; he wanted to figure out exact measurements of certain things so he could get the placement of their stuff correct. They were supposed to go out to dinner afterwards. He had even taken the day off for that purpose. Riley had wanted to take the day off with him, to have gone with him, but they both knew how much she hated repair shops and hardware stores. Still, she couldn't help but think she could've done something had she went. Maybe she would've heard a strange sound and convinced him to stop.

She shifted on her feet, knowing there was nothing she could've done to prevent it. She was at work when she got the news; her parents had called and asked to see her. She met them for lunch and instead of going home, she went back to work. She had to work. She had been sent an email with the police report early afternoon and had read it numerous times she still couldn't wrap her head around what happened. No one could; Conner's parents were just as shocked. They were the only ones going through a harder time than Riley. They had been a great help to Riley through the whole ordeal, they helped paid the first month of rent while Riley's parents helped pay the security deposit.

A sudden creak drew Riley's attention back to reality, the same creak she heard every time after she awoke from her recent nightmares. She knew what followed, so she held her breath, though it was clear the air was thick, she just didn't want to see her breath. It made no sense, the heat was tenant controlled, there was no reason for it to be this cold. Not wanting to think about it any longer she distracted herself by putting her jet black hair into a high ponytail. She rinsed her glass out and went to the bathroom, the room in there cold too.

After a few minutes she emerged, the apartment back to its normal temperature but it still felt odd. Riley turned the ring on her right forefinger, the one Conner's parents gave to her after his death. It was a nervous habit, turning things, but at least it distracted her. She sat on the black leather sectional in her living room, turning on the television. This was how it always ended up. An unexplained nightmare, a cold chill around the apartment, a short grievance for her loved lost one, and then a couple of hours of mindless television before passing out on the couch.

As expected, the sun shining in through the blinds lightly woke Riley up. She stared at the blank television, happy she had the timer turned on. She started at the clock, it was going on seven-thirty, she had to be to work by eight-thirty. Unless she took the day off. She hadn't given herself a day off in forever. She knew she had build up personal, sick and vacation time from the three years she worked as a Director's Jr. Assistant at the nearby state college. They had suggested she take some time off after Conner's death but she refused. The last thing she wanted was to be alone in this big apartment. Not that she was really alone. She had neighbors and they were kind, but she didn't make friends that easily.

Maybe she should call in, she didn't feel well. Hadn't been feeling well in a while; of course it didn't help that she barely got even a full six hours over the last few weeks. Sitting up she pulled the covers off, slowly standing up to look around the place; the place always looked so different in the light. She went into the bedroom, taking her phone off the charger. She was calling in; if she could make up for missing so much sleep in one day it was totally worth it. Especially if she didn't want her performance to suffer.

"Hi, Glenn?" she said as the secretary answered the phone.

"Lee! Good morning sweetheart," Glenn answered. Riley smiled, happy to hear Glenn's upbeat high pitched voice. He was the friendliest person she knew, a very flamboyant older gentleman with the heart of an angel and the humor of dirty trucker. Everyone at the office loved him. "How are you my darling?" he asked as Riley sat down on her bed, playing with a lose string on her pajama top.

"Um, I was actually calling in...I need the day off" she said, nervous for some reason, everyone understood her situation, but it wasn't that easy for her.

"Oh huh, of course you do! You know how we all feel about what happened and you've been looking brutally dreadful the last few days" Glenn replied. Glenn was also incredibly honest with very little idea what a censor was.

"Jee, thanks" she responded, trying to sound indifferent about the bluntness.

"Is there anything you need?" Glenn asked.

"Nope, I'm honestly all set, I just need some time to sleep, I've had a rough couple of nights" she explained though they both knew it was more than a couple.

"No problem, I'll let the boss know, you get your sleep babe" Glenn encouraged. Riley agreed, they said their goodbyes and hung up.

After being on the phone Riley sat on the bed, unsure what to do with herself, she couldn't remember the last time she had a day off on the weekday. Maybe she could get some groceries, and ask the landlord about the heat, and the weird occurrence where the lights flickered. Maybe there was some issue with her apartment and she just needed help to find the source. That or there was some serious other problem.

With that thought she took to the bathroom again, coming out a good twenty minutes later, showered and dressed. For a mid June, the weather was pleasantly warm and the sun dress was perfectly acceptable. She went back to her room, folded her pajamas and set them on the end of the bed, then went to the mirror, admiring her dark chocolate colored skin and her frame in the sky blue dress. It reached just below her knees and a sweetheart neckline she had come to love. Lastly was her hair. At twenty-eight she didn't want to look any older, but the high bun hairdo was her favorite; her hair got in the way a lot less. Convinced, she redid her hair and then slid on a pair of white flats and grabbed her green knitted purse.

She decided to walk to the store, it wasn't that far and she didn't need too many things. Plus, it was nice, maybe being out would relax her. As she passed the gas station she couldn't help but notice a fancy old car parked at one of the pumps. Shiny black, definitely a classic; Conner would've known what kind it was from ten blocks away, he loved classics.

On her way back she instinctively looked for the car, but it wasn't at the gas station anymore, not that she expected it to be. She had been at the store longer than twenty minutes; only coming out with three bags, barely full. But she did get all the items she wanted, plus a few treats to make herself feel better. She couldn't wait to dive into the strawberry ice cream.

Back at her apartment she searched for her keys, finally finding them deep in her purse, which meant putting all her bags down. She turned the lock and headed up the stairs, out of habit looking out the window on the second floor. She stopped, nearly dropping her bags. The Black Classic was sitting in parking lot behind the apartment buildings. She moved closer to get a better look, to see if she could spot anyone in the car, but it appeared empty.

Reluctantly she gathered herself and continued up to the fourth floor, stopping at her door. About to put the key in she paused, thinking she heard a noise from within, but that was impossible. She only heard creaks at night, during the day it was fine; then again, she was always at work by now. For all she knew there could've been a big ghost party going on inside.

Putting her ear to the door she listened, this time knowing she heard voices inside. She reached down in her purse, fumbling for her phone as she continued listening. "I'm definitely thinking we're going to get an EMF reading here..." voice one said, this voice soft but slightly worried.

"Well, it's expected, you know, because we've been casing the joint for the last week" the other voice said. This one was a little more jagged and deeper. Already he seemed like the type to use slang; but didn't casing a joint refer to robberies? Was she being robbed? If these were the men who owed the fancy car outside they could've just sold that, it was bound to be worth a pretty penny. Why did they need to rob her? Why was she not calling the police?

Again, she reached down, taking out her phone again, but when she went to set down her purse, the contents slipped out, a small bottle of perfume rolled out and hit the door. She stiffened, certain the intruders hadn't heard the sound. "Did you hear that?" first voice asked.

"No" second voice answered but first voice hushed him up, his footsteps barely audible but Riley knew he was moving closer to the door. She quickly picked her purse up, digging through it, she had a knife, pepper spray, a taser gun, rape whistle and an emergency alarm bell. Her uncle, a cop of twenty-three years always wanted her prepared. But preparation and practice were never enough for the real deal.

She pulled out the taser as the door opened, the man inside pointing a gun at her as she pointed the taser at him. "Drop it" she told him as he quickly raised his hands, a sign he meant no harm but she shook her head. "Drop it" she repeated as he nodded and set the gun down. "You too, cowboy" she told the other man who was standing further back, his gun now on the ground.

"Easy..." first voice said. "It's not what it looks like" he continued but Riley shook her head and nodded him backwards as she walked into her apartment. She'd be dammed to be robbed on her only day off from work.

"Couch" she motioned as the two men obeyed. The shorter of the two, the one with the deeper voice rolled his eyes; was this not something new to him? Riley wondered but kept her taser gun pointed at the boys; as long as they didn't know it was a gun she was safe. Unfortunately her phone was still out in the hallway and the apartment phone was in the kitchen.

"Listen, we're not here to rob you and that's not a real gun" shorter guy said as Riley tried not to show any sign of weakness or fear.

"You don't know that" she replied, wondering why she was even talking to them. "And if you're not here to rob me, why are you here? How did you even get in?" she asked, slightly annoyed with herself for continuing conversation.

"A good old-fashioned paper clip" shorter guy answered.

"Who are you?" Riley asked, not feeling comforted by the answer. "What do you want?" she continued, wondering why she was not moving toward her phone or better yet, an exit.

"You have to trust me when I say this, but, we're here to help," taller guy answered but Riley could feel her body going into a defensive pose.

"Here to help yourselves maybe" she mumbled.

"Alright, we don't have to time for this" shorter guy said as he stood up, and before Riley could aim and fire he swiped the taser from her as if it was nothing. He took aim at one of the chairs and fired, rolling his eyes and sighing as he proved it was a taser and not gun. "I'm sorry we're intruding-" Riley interrupted him with a punch in the face.

"Who are you?" she asked, her stance ready to fight.

"Okay, okay, wait" taller guy said jumping aid to aid his partner. "We're..." he trailed off to look at the other one, him rubbing his cheek. "I'm Sam, this is my brother Dean, we're...hunters..." he said as Riley didn't move, but looked from one to the other, some part of her wanting to hear more.


	2. Hunters

Disclaimer- I own no rights to Supernatural, the plot is my own, obviously you know which characters are mine and which are the "real deal." Please read and enjoy!

 **Hunters.**

"Hunters? Like animals?" she asked wondering why they'd be in here, she didn't know anything about hunting, that was her dad's thing and he kept her out of the loop. "I don't have any guns to steal, I gave my dad his Winchester a week ago, I don't believe in guns" she explained as the shorter one, Dean, chuckled.

"The irony" he told her. "And we're not those kind of hunters," he added and then looked over at the door. "Can you please close that? We don't need anyone else barging in here" he said.

"Um, no?" why was this dude so rude. "You look like hunters" she added, nodding at their outfits. Flannel button ups and faded jeans.

"We're hunters of another kind, how about we sit down and explain?" Sam asked. "I'll get your groceries and close the door..." he said, his voice still soft and kind. Riley, knowing she should said no and call the police nodded. The one named Sam nodded back and went over, grabbing the four bags and her purse. "You're prepared I see" he said as he handed over her purse, clearly noticing the contents.

"Obviously not if you two are still here" she replied.

"Alright, this is gonna sound kind of crazy..."

"A lot crazy" Dean corrected as the three pulled up chairs around the kitchen table. Sam gave his brother a short look but immediately looked back at Riley.

"We hunt monsters, all kinds, from the ones that go bump in the night to the ones you never thought you'd believe in" he explained as Riley gave him a long look. He was crazy. They were crazy. This was crazy.

"Monsters aren't real" she told him.

"You know, every time someone says that a monster reproduces" Dean dryly joked. Riley looked back at Sam, he seemed nicer.

"Monsters aren't real" she repeated, directing her comment to Sam only.

"Yeah, unfortunately that's not true, we've been hunting them for years" he said as Riley, still in complete disbelief shook her head.

"You kill them?" she asked, no idea where the sympathy came from.

"Ninety-nine percent of them are killers themselves" Dean answered.

"Some of them need to be put to rest before they harm someone, we do that too, we make sure we can help if they need it" Sam explained but Dean's grunt didn't seem to agree.

"Why are you here? I'm not a monster" she said, suddenly feeling terrified. What if she was and never it? What if she had some weird werewolf gene or was part vampire? What if she was dead? She shivered at the thought, she wasn't dead. Though, this would be a very good shock of reality.

"You'd know if you were a monster. It's extremely hard to maintain normalcy for monsters, they usually slip up, even if they think no one is watching" Sam explained, way to knowledgeable for Riley.

"Is there a monster around here?" she asked as Sam and Dean looked at each other, but didn't right away reply. That was never a good sign. "There is, isn't there? I'm being stalked?"

"Haunted actually" Dean corrected. "We ran into a case in one of the buildings a few years back, a maintenance worker hung himself in the basement after the tenant he was having an affair with ended things" Dean recapped as Riley's mouth dropped open.

"That wasn't in the brochure!" she exclaimed.

"Would you really move in if it was?" Sam asked. She already knew the answer to that; hell no.

"How do I get rid of it? Should I move out?" she asked.

"First we need to find out if it's really a spirt" Sam told her as she started to nod, but then shook her head.

"This is insane!" she told them.

"Oh trust me, you have no idea what insane is" Dead answered as he stood up, retrieved his and Sam's gun, handing Sam's over to him.

"And I'm just supposed to believe you?" she asked, a part of her still defensive and worried. Dean handed her back her weapon.

"I wouldn't think you would be right in the head if you did" he said with a tight smile as he went over to his bag.

"What are you doing?" she asked, quick to get up. What if that whole hunting monsters story was just a ploy? What if he was pulling out duck tape and rope? She had let them close the door.

"I'm taking out my EMF" he said as he unzipped the bag, pulled out a gadget and zipped the back bag up. "This..." he started as he turned back to her, showing her the little device. "Picks up wavelengths that are known to be made by supernatural beings."

"Like ghost?"

"Like ghost" Dean replied. "Wanna try?" he asked as she looked at him with slight fear. What if she touched it and was cursed forever?

"No" she answered. "Thanks" she quickly added.

"Alright, is it okay if I check your bedroom?" he asked as she looked at him, not sure if he was joking, but then quickly realized he was indeed serious.

"So, this is real? Like a career?" she asked, turning to Sam.

"I wouldn't have done it if it wasn't in the family business" he replied. "But yeah, we're like the new Ghostbusters..." he teased.

"But, are you sure there's a ghost here?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Since moving in, have you experienced cold spots? Seeing your breath at night even when it's hot out? Weird sounds? Flickering lights?" he asked as Riley mentally checked off every single one.

"Maybe" she answered as Sam gave her a sympathy nod.

"Yeah, that's why we're here" he answered.

"But, how did you know to come here? To come to my apartment? To come to this building? There's like thirty buildings in this complex, and...a billion rooms" she told him, surprised at their accuracy.

"Four hundred and eighty to be exact" Sam answered as Riley stared at him for a long minute.

"I can't complain that you didn't do your research" she mumbled.

"We try to keep our eye on certain cases, especially ones that involve kids; the one we worked here years ago involved a kid" he explained.

"What happened?" she asked.

"You remember how Dean mentioned the maintenance worker?"

"Yeah, he offed himself" Riley recalled.

"The tenant, a mom had a child, her husband was off on a business trip. When he came home she ended the affair. After the worker died he sought out revenge by going after the only thing she loved" Sam explained.

"Her kid" Riley whispered, the shock and surprise of a vengeful ghost alarming her; though she had to know they weren't all like Casper.

"Yeah, we saved the husband and wife, but," he didn't say the rest, he didn't need to. "We managed to burn the worker's bones-"

"That actually works?" she asked, recalling from some internet video video that in order to get rid of spirits it would was best to burn the bones.

"Yeah, so, we burned the maintenance worker's bones; the couple wouldn't let us touch their kid; they said they would take care of it."

"And now we're back because they didn't keep their word" Dean said emerging from the bedroom. "I got a reading, pretty high, definitely a ghost" he said as Riley looked from one to the other again.

"Wait, you want to burn a child's bones?" she asked, catching the plan.

"We have to, if not, who knows who could next" Sam told her.

"But you can't, it's a kid" she pleaded. "Plus, I'm fine, I haven't been hurt, just...haunted" she replied.

"It starts off as a simple haunting. Kinda like domestic violence, simple easy to ignore stuff and then someone ends up dead."

"Dean!" Sam hissed at his brother.

"I'm just trying to stress the importance" Dean told him.

"I can't let you burn a body" Riley said, ignoring Dean's grumble.

"You don't really have a choice" he replied.

"I'll call the cops" she threatened. "You know, like in domestic violence cases" she added sarcastically.

"Guys" Sam said as Dean and Riley glared at each other.

"How do you know the ghost is dangerous?" Riley asked.

"Because they're all dangerous, or at least they all become dangerous" Dean answered. "Listen, I wouldn't stay the night if I were you; is there someone you can stay with?" he asked.

"Yeah, I have a cousin nearby" she answered.

"Good, go pack a bag" Dean instructed.

"But..." she started, not even knowing where to began.

"It will be okay, it shouldn't take more than a few days" Sam assured her, but she remained where she was. A child. They were going to burn a child's bones. A child who was haunting her after being murdered by a ghost who was having an affair with his mom. This would've made great TV.

"But why?" she asked, the only question she could really get out.

"We're not quite sure, but we'll figure it out" Sam answered.

"I want to help" she quickly answered.

"No" the guys said in unison. "Absolutely not" Dean continued.

"He's right, this is dangerous" Sam added.

"My dad is a hunter and my uncle is cop," she offered.

"This is way different" Dean told her.

"This is also my apartment" she reminded them. "Which you broke into. Either I help or I call the cops" she continued.

"You can help by not being here" Dean insisted.

"I need to do something, these last few weeks have been hard; besides, how will I know the job is really done?" she asked.

"We do our jobs very well thank you" Dean snickered.

"Obviously not if the ghost is still around" she snapped at him. Dean started to reply but Sam grabbed his arm and pulled him to a corner of the room.

Riley stood where she was but didn't move, she wasn't going to evesdrop, but she also wasn't going to let some dudes come into her place and take over, kicking her out. What if they were lying? What if there was more to the story?

"Okay" Sam started as they came back over to her. "Pack a bag-"

"But-"

"Pack and a bag and you help me do the research" Sam finished as Riley looked from Sam to Dean, not convinced.

"What's he gonna do?" she asked nodding at Dean.

"I'm gonna go on treasure hunt" he answered sarcastically as Riley narrowed her eyes at him.

"He's going to look around and talk to people, see what he can find, see if there's a location to the bones, if the parents are still around. The legwork" Sam explained as Riley pulled her eyes away from Dean.

"You can't just walk up to people and ask them questions like that" Riley told them, realizing they looked way to out of place to ask any questions about murder, especially to apartment managers.

"Oh, we got it covered" Dean assured her with a wide grin.

"You're not like the men in black, are you?" she asked, though that idea sounded much more sensible for some reason.

"Nope, unfortunately they're still fictional" Dean responded. "But we have our methods; mind if I use your bathroom while you pack?" he asked. Riley shook her head, but it didn't seem like anymore information could process through.

"Thanks, now go pack" Sam told her as she nodded and went into her bedroom.


	3. Knowledge Is Power

Disclaimer- I own no rights to Suernatural, the plot is my own, obviously you know which characters are mine and which are the "real deal." Please read and enjoy!

 **Knowledge Is Power.**

Riley pulled clothes off hangers and garments from drawers, not paying the least amount of attention to what she was doing. Two hunters were in her apartment. Monsters were real. She was being haunted by a ghost. A child was murdered in cold blood at this apartment complex. This was really happening to her. "I take on day off and hell breaks loose..." she mumbled to herself, the irony not escaping her as she continued throwing clothes in her bag.

Did burning bones really work or was that just some silly rumor? Were they really hunters? Hunters. Hunters of the supernatural. They didn't kill animals, they killed monsters. Ghosts and other monsters. She paused. What other monsters were out there? She wondered with dread. Did they consider people monsters? They could say some of those weirdos that thought if a person was possessed they automatically needed to die. Was possession real? Was all that stuff real? She wondered.

She came out of her bedroom, a light pink travel suitcase in tow, not really believing she had to leave her apartment. "You ready?" Sam asked. She jumped, her mind in its own thoughts. She had thought, for a few seconds that this was some dream, that the guys were a figment of her imagination. But no, they were standing before her. And now, Dean was all dressed up. Like a detective or desk officer. A clean black suit and a purple tie.

"What are you wearing?" she asked, turning her nose up at him.

"I told you, I have to ask questions" he said as he pulled an ID badge out of his pocket. FBI.

"Oh my god...you're an idiot" she said as he made a face, clearly disappointed his fake badge and clothes didn't impress her.

"It's part of our cover" he explained.

"To dress up as officers of the law? You know that's a crime, right?" she asked but Dean just smiled.

"We don't go directly to jail" he said, smiling wider but when Riley didn't look amused he cleared his throat. "We've been doing for this a while, I don't need you telling me what to do now" he told her.

"I can't believe you; you guys really do this? You hunt monsters and dress up like cops?" she asked, looking at Sam.

"It's part of the job" he answered. "Come on, we gotta get to the nearest library" he told her but she seemed stuck between laughing and crying. "Call when you're done" he added to his brother. Dean nodded and Sam took Riley by the arm and lead her out, taking her bag once they got in the hallway.

"Please tell this is some kind of prank? Please tell me you're really here to rob me" she said as she followed Sam down the stairs anyway.

"I know this is hard to wrap your head around" he said gently as they got outside. "But this is all real" he said as they stood outside.

"It might take some time to let that stink in" she told him as he nodded.

"Don't take too long, sometimes we need to be quick" he said as she followed him around the building and to the black car.

"I saw this car earlier today. To think I was admiring it...had I know what was going to happen next..." she trailed off as Sam held the door for her and she climbed in, Sam tossing her bag in the back seat.

"Ready?" he asked again.

"No" she replied as Sam gave her a weak smile and started the car, ACDC blasting from the radio. "Sorry" he said fumbling with the buttons. Riley mumbled an okay in reply but didn't say much else; loud music was the least of her worries.

"So, how long have you been doing this?" she asked but shook her head. "What exactly do you do? I mean, you just run around and hunt monsters?" she asked imagining the pair sneaking from house to apartment invading one's privacy and burning bones.

"We find cases...we go online or read the paper and try and sort out fact from fiction per say. If anything sounds fictional or unbelievable we look into it further. If it hits our interest or happens to be near by we go check it out" he started as Riley blinked, once, twice.

"Okay, so, you check out Ripley's newspapers?" she asked as Sam chuckled but shook his head.

"Not exactly, we read the normal paper. Sometimes there's an article about an attack but some word or phase hints at some underlying fact the paper is trying to hide" he said as Riley slowly caught on.

"It must take hours" she said as Sam nodded.

"Sometimes we get calls from other hunters to check things out" he said, a little more relaxed, as if enjoying talking about his warped life choice called a career.

"You mean there's more of you?" she asked.

"Yeah, lots, we try to blend it, but, usually hunters can spot another hunter" Sam said as they took a left.

"Do you work together? Is it like a big club?" she asked as Sam laughed again but shook his head.

"Hunters don't exactly work well together; Dean and I didn't always work together, sometimes we still don't" he explained.

"Are there...female hunters?" she asked though she really wanted to ask why the hell would anyone do this.

"Yeah, definitely; four of our friends are female hunters" Sam answered.

"Wow, where are they?" she asked as Sam pulled up to a public library.

"Dead" he told her with a quick flinch as he turned off the car.

"Wait, what?" she asked following suit as they got out of the car. "You guys can die?" she asked hurrying after him.

"Of course, we're regularly people; sometimes we get lucky, sometimes we don't" he answered. "Dean and I have been lucky quite a few times" he added.

"Meaning what?" she asked as they went inside, lowering their voices.

"We've died half a dozen times each and have always come back" he said as he found an unoccupied computer toward the back.

"Hold on" she rushed over, pulling up a chair. "You died? Like, died died?" she asked as Sam nodded. "How can you just be so...chill about saying that?" she asked as Sam shrugged.

"I guess I've been through enough and have talked to enough people to really stop censoring and sugar coating it" he said but then frowned at Riley's expression. "Plus, you're not a kid and we don't have time. There's no way to ease you into this" he explained as Riley exhaled. "Can I see your phone?" he asked as he brought up a website regarding the apartment complex she lived in. She obligated, handing over her phone but mostly paying attention to the screen.

"What are you doing?" she asked, noticing he was taking the battery off.

"Putting a chip in, in case anything happens and we need to find you" he explained, putting the back back on and handing the phone back to her.

"Why?"

"Sometimes things can get messy or a spirit can go a little crazy once they realize what we're doing and-"

"No, I mean, why would want to help me?" she asked as Sam shook the mouse, frowning again.

"It's what we do" he answered but Riley shook her head, not satisfied with that answer. "Because, when you've been in this as long as we have you see so much pain and death and chaos. You see monsters that were once humans. If we can prevent another monster, another murder; stop the pain then...it's worth it." he said, for the first time convincing Riley maybe this all was real.

"You're trying to make up for the death of that boy?" she asked.

"No" he answered, which surprised her. "If we start doing this to prevent guilt we'd go crazy. We're doing this to help and inform people" he told her.

"But if everyone knew monsters people would get paranoid" she responded as Sam nodded, smiling a little.

"We're not trying to convince everyone, only the ones that are in trouble" he reminded her.

"And what do you get in return? I've never seen a Presidential interruption to announce heroes Sam and Dean" she teased.

"Yeah, we don't get anything" he said with a short laugh.

"Gas money? I mean, if you're driving that thing around all time" she said as Sam shook his head. "Wow..." she finished with surprise. "So, what are we looking for?" she asked, trying to refocus.

"Not really sure..." he started. "When did you move in?"

"A month and two weeks ago" she answered as Sam nodded and typed the date into the database. "Alone?" he asked as she fidgeted.

"My boyfriend..." she paused to clear her throat, "he died; car accident about three days before we were supposed to move in" she explained. Sam scrunched his eyebrows together and turned back to the screen, erasing the date and typing in 'fatal car accident, Fairfield CT.' Riley felt herself tense, she hadn't read anything online, she hadn't read anything period since the accident. She wasn't ready yet. But the screen loaded faster than she could prepare herself. Unfortunately, there was more than one fatal car accident in the news section. Sam scrolled down the page but Riley was quick to stop him, spotting Conner's wrecked blue truck in the picture.

"I'm sorry" Sam said as he clicked on the link.

"Yeah" she whispered, reading the article with him. "Wait..." she paused, catching the second paragraph. "He was on his way to the store, not back to the apartment" she said rereading the sentence which stated he was on his way to a apartment he and his girlfriend were planning on renting.

"Are you sure?" Sam asked gently.

"Absolutely, I called him, he said specifically he had to go back to the store to get a real measuring tape" she explained recalling Conner's laugh about the measuring tape he found though he didn't explain what he meant by 'real.'

"Measuring tape?" Sam asked.

"I don't know what he meant" she said with a shrug. "But, he wasn't headed back" she insisted as Sam continued, reading.

"Do you have the police report?" he asked as she nodded.

"What's your email?" she asked as he quickly told her and she sent the email to him. He quickly opened it up, scanning the report.

"Okay, here" he said pointing to the part that listed all the contents they recovered from the car and Conner with a clickable link to that image. "Measuring tape" he read, clicking on the word.

"That's not a measuring tape" Riley said first, as Sam cursed. "What's wrong?" she asked, still looking at the picture.

Sam clicked back, scanning the other items, clicking on another picture. "Please tell me you've gone to Build-A-Bear with him and that's yours" Sam said as Riley squinted at the picture of the brown fuzzy stuffed animal.

"After watching The Conjuring I don't accept stuffed animals or dolls as gifts" she told him looking back at the picture.

"So that's not yours?" he asked as she shook her head.

"I don't get it, what's wrong?" she asked but Sam was quick on his phone.

"Dean" he exclaimed as soon as Dean said hello. "Do you remember when we went to talk to the wife? The one who lived the apartments? We asked her about the maintenance guy?" he asked.

"Yeah, she lied and said her brother always came over to do the repairs" Dean answered.

"Okay, yeah, I remember that, but, the kid, the boy, he was playing in the living room, right?" Sam asked, his voice rushed as Riley tilted her head, thinking somehow that would help her understand things better.

"Uh-huh, he had those building tools, the hammer and-"

"Measuring tape" Sam said as he looked over at Riley who felt the color slowly draining from her face.

"Yeah, he was measuring the bear, said it was a gift from his dad" Dean answered as Riley let out a gasp and covered her mouth.

"Great, I think we got something, keep looking, we'll pick you up in a bit" Sam said as Dean agreed and they hung up.


	4. Insight

Insight.

"You're not trying to say what I think you are, are you?" Riley asked, her voice just above a whisper. What the hell was he saying?

"I don't think that car accident was an accident" he replied as Riley stared at him, bewildered. "We don't deal with accidents in our line of work" he added, Riley's mind still trying to wrap her head around whatever he was getting at.

"Are you telling me he was murdered?"she managed to ask, but that wasn't her main concern, wasn't even what she was first thinking, but her first thoughts were too impossible.

"I think so" Sam answered, but Riley shook her head, she couldn't believe that, she couldn't believe her deceased boyfriend was murdered, especially not by a ghost or spirit or whatever the hell the child was. That couldn't happen, not to her. Her life was normal, normal and boring and routine, this wasn't that. "Are you okay?" Sam asked after what seemed like minutes.

She looked over at him, but couldn't answer, no she wasn't okay, wasn't even sure what was going on, but at the same time she wanted to know more, she wanted to know what really happened, how a spirit could kill someone. "What would make a child do this?" she asked, her mouth feeling dry.

"A number of things, most likely he wasn't put to rest when he was suppose to" Sam answered as he logged out of the computer. "Come on" he encouraged as Riley felt like she really had no choice but to follow him.

"Where are we going now?" she asked following him back outside and to the car, both of them getting in without hesitation.

"Gotta get Dean first, see what he has and then we can go from there" he planned. Riley nodded, her mind racking as they drove off. Her boyfriend died because of a ghost. He didn't even believe in ghost, he didn't believe in any of this, he hated ghost stories because nothing was based on fact. He hated haunted houses because he thought they were rigged. He ruined scary movies by explaining how they did x, y, and z. He ruined mysteries thinking he was Sherlock. He didn't believe in the supernatural. He believed in math and science.

"Hey" Dean said as he climbed in the car, taking Riley's place as she moved to the back of the car.

"Did you find out anything?" he asked.

"Yeah, the manager confirmed the husband and wife had a eight year boy, Ethan; one day the couple went out with a bag, came back with a van, cleaned out and never returned. Obviously they didn't get their security deposit back." Riley looked at Dean, more than surprised that he could talk about this so freely.

"What about the apartment?" Sam asked. "They obviously forget something if the toys somehow wound up in Conner's car" he asked, glancing at Riley through the rear view window.

"Yeah, they gave us permission to search it, it's been boarded off to other tenants since" Dean explained as he pointed to the apartment coming up to their left. "I'd say we wait till later? Find the husband and wife and talk to them?" he suggested as Riley continued staring.

"Agreed, we gotta drop Riley off first" Sam said nodding to the back.

"Oh, yeah, right" Dean said as he glanced over his shoulder. "You doing alright back there? We don't have any brown paper bags but if you need to throw up, let us know so we can pull over" he said with a tight smile.

"I'm sorry, but are you trying to be funny?" she asked sensing Dean's inappropriate timing of humor. "And I'm not going anywhere, I wanna help" she added as both boys sighed in unison. She couldn't imagine how many times they had heard that in this career.

"No Riley" Dean said as if he was scolding a pet. "You're not helping; we said that before-"

"This thing is the reason my boyfriend is dead, do you really except me to sit around and twiddle my thumbs until you tell me the deed is done?" she snapped at him. Dean turned around so he could get a better view of her.

"Yes we do" Sam said gently but Riley was already shaking her head.

"I'm not sitting back" she told him, her annoyance clear as they pulled into a motel. "Either I come with you or I follow you back there" she insisted.

"I do have duck tape and rope in the trunk, I will strap you down" Dean told her, his glare and voice overly rude.

"Dean..." Sam started but Dean was shaking his head.

"No" he repeated as he got out of the car.

"Is your dad just as stubborn" Riley asked in a mutter.

"He was actually" Dean said as he leaned against the car, hands in his pocket as Sam sighed and got of the car too, Riley doing the same.

"Did I hit a nerve?" Riley asked rudely, just trying to hit Dean emotionally like he did her.

"You know what? We don't have to do jack for you-"

"Dean," Sam said running over to his brother. "Go get us a room" he said as Dean shot a look Riley. "Go" Sam insisted as Dean finally nodded and went toward the motel's office. "Our parents died" Sam said after a long minute.

"I'm sorry" Riley replied, her voice hitting as a wave of regret passed over her. "I didn't know, I didn't-"

"It's alright, it was a while ago" Sam interrupted though Riley could still see his pain. It was hard to relate, her parents were alive and well, the same couldn't be said about her boyfriend.

"What about your wives? I notice you guys don't wear wedding bands" she commented as Sam chucked.

"Not married; my girlfriends keep dying and Dean's leave him" Sam said as Riley raised an eyebrow. "Hunting is more like a curse, it's a certain lifestyle that you really have to commit to" he explained.

"Is that why you don't want me involved? I can't just have a one time case?" she asked but Sam just sucked in air.

"It's never a one time thing and no, we don't want you involved because we don't want you getting hurt" Sam said, a simply reason but Riley wasn't taking that, he boyfriend was murdered by a ghost, two hunters broke into her apartment. She needed to help. She was already in too deep.

Before Riley could protest again Dean came back outside, his expression in plan mode as he opened the door to the car. "Get in" he said as Sam started to question him but he just shook his head and urged his brother in the passenger's seat. "You too" he said nodding at Riley who quickly got in, a little wave of happiness flowing in her body.

"Are you sure?" Sam asked as Dean nodded and started the car.

"I got a call from the wife, Stacy, she agreed to meet us at the nearby diner in twenty, we don't have time to get the kid a babysitter" Dean explained as Riley felt the urge to smack Dean in the back of the head. Was it too much to ask to be treated with respect from this guys?

"Okay" Sam said as they continued on without word, the low music of Bon Jovi's Wanted Dead or Alive playing from the radio. When they got to the diner Dean threw Sam a bag, motioning to the bathroom. When he came out not even five minutes later he was dressed very similar to Dean, only his tie was blue.

"You guys are insane" Riley told them as Dean smiled and guided them over to a table in the corner. They all sat and ordered a coffee.

"She should be here-oh good," Dean started but looked up in time to see an older women standing in the doorway. He motioned her to come forward, she did, not even hesitating as she sat down across from Riley who was sitting next to Sam. "Thanks for meeting us" Dean said as the waitress came over, the lady ordering a simple water. She muttered a hello after the waiter left, touching the bun of her hair. She looked to be about in her late thirties, maybe a few years older. Her face was a soft white, her cheeks and lips red from her makeup, her bright blue eyes alert but sad, her frame thin and stiff."I know it's been a while, but, I'm Detective Hannon" Dean introduced. "We met several years ago" he said but the women didn't look like she remembered much from several years ago.

"Vaguely," she muttered.

"Okay, well, this is my partner, Detective Wheat" he said as Sam nodded and she mumbled a hello.

"Stacy" the lady replied gently and then looked over at Riley. Riley felt herself stumble, she wasn't ready to play cops.

"Um, this is Hannon's girlfriend, uh, Miss-"

"Luccketta" she quickly interrupted as Dean did a double take, no doubt surprised by her quick ability to catch on. She silently thanked her mom for her unhealthy obsession with 80's rock bands.

"Oh" Stacy replied, still looking a little hesitant.

"It's okay, I work desk" Riley managed to say as Stacy finally relaxed.

"Do you think you could tell us what happened..." Sam asked.

"First, I have a question; what were you doing back then? Two detectives come around, investigating, and the next thing I knew we were be told to wait in the closet. And we did. We trusted you. And you let my son die" the women said, clearly remembering the most important detail of the night.

"But they tried to save you guys" Riley couldn't help but speak up, was this really the kind of thankfulness the guys got in their...career? she wondered.

"Tried" snickered the woman.

"We're sorry we couldn't save your son, and no, we can't understand how much pain it brought upon you and your husband..." Sam started.

"He was my only child" she whispered, her eyes getting a little glossy. "I didn't even know if he was going to make it through to begin with" she explained as Sam and Dean gave each other a quick look.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked as Riley rolled her eyes.

"My mom almost didn't have me either" Riley said gently, speaking from the women's perspective. The lady snickered, but didn't say anything. Riley couldn't blame her, each mother's pain and experience with miscarriages was different. "She did miscarry actually" Riley spoke up, the first time she had ever spoken about the most weirdest story she had ever heard.

"A sibling?" the woman asked but Riley shook her head; if she could just get this lady to open up and get her help then Riley would be free, she wouldn't have the spirit of a dead little boy haunting her. This lady could get some peace. She just needed the lady to connect and if this unbelievable true story helped, she'd say it.

"No, me" she took a deep breath, ignoring the brothers. "She was nine weeks, and was experiencing slight bleeding, no pain, just bleeding. A couple of days later she went into full on miscarriage, rushed to the hospital, given some meds...they did several ultrasounds, all of them confirming the baby was indeed gone..." she trailed off, how the hell was this story possible? She had asked herself many many times. She wasn't even sure it was true, but everyone confirmed it. Doctors, nurses, paperwork, medical records, her parents, her grandparents. Everyone knew her mom had a miscarriage. "She mentally and physically and emotionally suffered about, two weeks before returning to the doctor for an update" she continued, "but," she paused, ready to explain the almost supernatural like story. "They went to do the procedure, they set her up for an ultrasound and they saw it. A baby. Twelve weeks, steady and strong heartbeat. She went on to continue a completely normal and uneventful pregnancy. She named me Riley Peter Duncan as a play on words for Ripley's believe it or not stories."

The woman blinked at her, once, twice, three times. "God must have a plan for you" she whispered, her voice different, she was shocked, but yet she looked to believe Riley. "An arch angel himself must have carried you..." she continued as Riley raised an eyebrow, unable to help the smirk from appearing.

"I doubt all that, but, true story" she explained, the woman still looking at her with awe and respect. "My son, after he died, we moved, rented a house. But we couldn't burn the body, it was too much, we agreed we'd do it later" she started as Riley gave small looks to the boys, they two had been staring oddly at Riley. Shouldn't she have been thankful no said they didn't believe her? "One night I went out, to get groceries, when I came home my husband announced he took the body to be buried. He wasn't burning his only son" she explained. "I told him we should, that we saw what happened to Andrew, that maintenance worker."

"So you believe in the supernatural?" I asked.

"It was hard not to after that night" she replied. "Anyway, I gathered his toys, I read being in possession of any objects the dead might have had could link them to this world" she paused as Dean nodded. "My husband figured out what I was doing and he managed to get two of the toys-"

"The measuring tape and bear" Riley whispered as the lady nodded.

"He brought it back to the apartment, mostly as a make shift grave stone, mostly to keep it from he was out, I took my son to the crematorium. I walked out immediately after I left the body" she explained. "I've been moving around since, I brought a nice tiny house, it's portable" she said as Riley gave her a weird look. Those tiny houses looked so silly.

"What about your husband?" Sam asked as the lady nodded, her eyes glossy again, but Riley couldn't feel too bad for her, she did leave him.

"He died, the doctors say overdoes..." she said, her voice going stoney.

"You don't agree?" Riley found herself asking.

"I find it hard to overdoes on a handful of pills if you've already died from suffocation."


	5. Goodnight and Good Luck

**Goodnight & Good Luck.**

"Well, that was just...peachy" Dean said after their meeting with Stacy, Dean and Riley standing around Dean's car. "Nice job by the way" he added.

"Which part" she half joked.

"Tesla" he said simply, the tiniest smile in the corner of his mouth.

"My mom loved 80's Rock," she explained as Dean nodded. "Okay, so, did the body get torched?" she asked, trying to refocus.

"Yeah" Sam said as he joined them again, sliding his phone is back pocket. "I just spoke the crematorium Stacy went to. They burned the body almost a year ago" he said as Dean rolled his eyes.

"So it's not a ghost?" Riley said with great relief, wondering why the brothers didn't look happier.

"It's probably a spirit" Sam said but Riley shook her head. Spirit, ghost, whatever, it was gone, right?

"Okay, so, is it gone? Am I safe?" she asked.

"No, unfortunately we're just getting started" Dean said. "I think we're looking at cursed objects" Dean said as Sam nodded in agreement.

"Wait, what?" Riley asked, completely stunned. That stuff was real too? She asked. "That's impossible!" she hissed.

"Yeah, kinda like that story you told Stacy; captivating," Dean said as Riley glared at him.

"It was true" she snorted at him. Surprisingly, Dean didn't come back with a sarcastic comment. Did he believe her now? Was there something she didn't know? She racked her brain, trying to find something to ask from the conversation she had with Stacy about the experience.

"Anyway, we should find those toys, I think they're the link, whoever is in possession of them is haunted and eventually killed by the last person to die." Sam encouraged.

"Like a deadly game of hot potato" Dean commented.

"Wait..." Riley said, her brain catching up. "That means, if we find it, Conner will come after us" she whispered, her emotions mixed at the thought of seeing Conner again.

"It wouldn't be Conner" Dean assured her. "At least not really, not the one you remember" he added.

"You don't even have to be there, you said you had a cousin nearby-"

"I want to help" she whispered, not understanding why she was saying it. "My boyfriend died because of cursed children's toys. I want to help put him to rest." Dean nodded, Sam continued looking a little reluctant. "If we can burn the toys, we won't have to burn the body" she reminded him.

"Maybe you will be helpful" Dean commented, surprised at Riley's quick grasp on how to rid a supernatural.

"Yeah" Sam said, still hesitant but getting in the car anyway.

"We'll have to go back the motel, figure out the layout. If we can burn the toys where the maintenance guy hung himself I think we'll be good, cutting the head off the snake and all" he compared. Riley silently agreed, her mind more focused on the fact that she might encounter her dead boyfriend.

"Do you think it was him the whole time? The one in my apartment?" she asked as they arrived back at the motel, the sun low to the earth's surface.

"Most likely" Sam said gently.

"But he hasn't hurt me, do you think maybe he's...protecting me or something?" Riley asked.

"Probably," Dean said as he came around, unlocking the door to the motel. "But, as noble and brave as his intentions may be, he'll lapse. They all do. They don't mean to, but, it happens. Spirits, ghosts that stay in this world beyond their time always lash out. It's too hard." Riley didn't want to believe him, but deep down, way deep down, she knew. She knew her dreams where Conner came to her, a depressed unhappy looking soul were him fighting not to hurt her. He wanted to stay, to oversee her, to protect her, but, this wasn't natural.

"Not to mention, he's being kept here unwillingly. He very well might want to move on, but, cursed objects connect them" Sam explained.

"Hence the reason they're cursed" Dean added.

"Okay, so, let's do this" Riley said as they went inside. Riley made a face as she looked around, the room looked very plain and had a certain smell that she couldn't quite place. "Do you guys stay in places like these often?" she asked.

"Yep" Dean said as he checked the fridge, pulling out a carton that looked Chinese but based on his expression after smelling it it was probably just mold by now. "Alright, Sam, you hit the plans, I'm gonna go grab us some food" Dean instructed as Riley quickly perked up, rushing to her bag, shuffling through until she found her wallet.

"Here" she said handing over thirty dollars.

"We don't charge for our services, Sam says it's unethical" Dean commented overlooking the cash.

'How else are you suppose to pay for it? Credit card fraud?" she asked, meaning for it to be a joke, but when Sam shifted uncomfortably in his seat she had a sinking feeling that was something they had previous done. "Are you sure you guys are the good ones?" she asked.

"Depends on who you talk to" Dean answered.

"Anyway, here, this is technically my case too Detective Wheat, I'm allowed to make contributions" she insisted, shoving the money in Dean's hands.

"Fine" Dean said, his tone and body language unwilling and annoyed. "I'll be back soon, call if there's an emergency" he said before exiting the room.

"Is he really mad that I gave him money?" Riley asked. She knew a man's ego and pride was their everything, but still, a little help every now and then couldn't be so wrong.

"Don't worry about him," Sam said. Riley sighed and sat down in the chair across from Sam.

"I called in sick today. I was going to finish rereading the third Harry Potter book..." she said with another sigh as Sam chuckled.

"Who's your favorite character?" he asked, a little smile dancing on his face, a clear sign of interest.

"Don't know. Yours?" she asked as Sam chuckled again, but before he could respond the light breeze blew in, causing them both to jump. "We're probably going to sleep in shifts, I recommend you getting some shut eye first" Sam said as he got up to close the window.

"What if something happens?" she asked, watching Sam go into the kitchen, returning with a canister of salt.

"It won't" he answered with full confidence. "Do you know the significance of salt?" he asked as Riley nodded. Throw salt over your shoulder to keep bad spirits away. But that was just a saying. That wasn't real.

"I knew I should've went to work today..." she mumbled as she went over, shivering a little as all the realizations started pouring in. She went to move to her bag, hoping in her haste she packed a sweater.

"Here" Sam said kindly as he took off his own jacket.

"Thanks," Riley replied, pulling the jacket on and then moving over to the one of the two beds and sitting down. "I don't think I'll be able to sleep though" she told him with an off laugh.

"Trust me, you will" he insisted. "Lay down and close your eyes" he said as he sat on the opposite bed. "I'll sit here until you fall asleep." she thanked him again, he must have sensed how terrified she was, how strange and new this all was. That she needed someone to be right there.

"Sam?" she whispered as she put her head on the pillow.

"Yeah?"

"Does this ever not get weird for you guys?"

"No" Sam answered with an low laugh. "We always learn something new with each case" he told her.

"Well, that's good...you know, educational benefits and all" she said, her voice drowsy as she yawned, her eyelids heavy.

"Riley?"

"Uh-huh..."

"Go to sleep" Sam once again insisted. Riley didn't need to be told again, she nodded and relaxed, her body collapsing under the day's events, her mind settling on the positive thought that soon she'd be able to see Conner and help put him to rest and give everyone some peace.

She awoke to whispers, her mind rushing to catch up with her surroundings. Supernatural. Sam and Dean. Murdered boyfriend. Spirits. Cursed children's toys. She didn't move, realizing Sam and Dean were talking about her.

"Do we trust her?" Dean asked.

"What kind of question is that? Of course," Sam snorted.

"What about her story about the miscarriage?" Dean asked.

"It could very well be true, c'mon, we've seen stranger things" Sam reminded him. "The question is, how are we going to get her to stay here when we're done? How are we going to convince her not to look into this stuff?" Sam asked.

"I think this is the type of adventure that lasts a lifetime for the normal person" Dean commented.

"Yeah, but, you saw her today. You can't deny she's quick, and fits in" Sam explained as Riley imagined Dean giving Sam a dirty look.

"She also knows how dangerous this is, she's not gonna want to do this on her own after we leave" Dean assured him.

"She was insisted on coming along this far" Sam countered.

"Because her dead boyfriend is involved. I would come along too" Dean told him. Riley had to say, at least they were being considerate and mindful that Riley was a person and not bait, but still respected her enough to let her help since it did indeed involve someone she cared about. But that was it. She wouldn't go out and do this every day. She had a life. A job.

She bolted up. Her job. She couldn't miss another day. "Hello sleepy head" Dean teased as he picked up a carton of food. "Fried rice?" he asked as Riley jumped out of bed, scrambling to find her phone. It was two-fifteen in the morning. She had a few texts. Quickly she ran through her contacts, stopping at her boss's cell phone. She sent her text, explaining she still wasn't feeling good.

"You okay?" Sam asked as he stood up to move her to her.

"Yeah, I just remembered I had to text my boss. I don't want to just not show up. I had to make up an excuse, but I'll be back tomorrow. This will be done by tomorrow, right?" she asked looking from Sam to Dean.

"Yeah, definitely" Dean replied as Riley's phone pinged, a text from her boss insisting not to worry and take as much times as she needs. She nodded, satisfied with the answer and then sat on the end of the bed. "Hungry now that you got that out of the way?" Dean asked.

"Not really, I actually feel..." she paused, her stomaching jerking as she let out a loud burp.

"It's the excitement, happens to the best of us" Dean explained, still munching on his food. "Alright, so, we have the layout. We checked the inventory of Conner's stuff, surprise, surprise, no toys." Riley tried to take her focus off her stomach at the mention of Conner. To prevent up heaving she turned around to shuffle in her bag some more, not particularly looking for anything.

"We're guessing the spirit put it back or is planning on putting it somewhere for you to find" Sam said but Riley shook her head. "Listen, I know this is hard and I know you think Conner wouldn't do that to you, but you have to understand he's been resisting for a long time now-"

"No, I wasn't gonna disagree" she whispered as Dean got up, sensing Riley's change in tone.

"What's wrong?" he asked as Riley took a step back and pointed at the bag. Sam and Dean looked at each other and then Sam used a nearby hanger to move the clothes aside. They all looked, sitting on the bottom on the bag were a toy measuring tape and brown teddy bear.


	6. Impala '67

_Disclaimer: Like I said in the first few episodes, I don't own any Supernatural characters._

 _Alright folks, last chapter in this episode! Would love some positive feedback and any suggestions on cases you'd like to see the trio accomplish. I'm up for challenges! Happy reading._

 **Impala '67.**

"Riley?" Sam whispered as Riley tried to control her breathing, her eyes glued to the bag. She hadn't packed that. She knew she didn't pack it.

"How did that get there?" she whispered back.

"You know how" Dean told her as he quickly closed the bag, Sam running around and searching the cabinets until he found a large black garbage back.

"Here" he told his brother who was quick throw the bag in the bigger bag. "Burn it!" he shouted at his brother just as the bathroom door slammed close.

"That's not good" Riley said stupidly, the air suddenly thick, the room freezing.

"Damnit" Dean shouted as he ran to the door, managing to open it and running outside. Riley wanted to say something, but nothing came out and then, it happened. A figure materialized.

"Conner..." she whispered as a ghostly image of her dead boyfriend appeared in front of her. He was wearing what he wore when he died. A plan maroon colored shirt and navy blue jeans, his favorite brown boots on his feet. He didn't look like she remembered though. He no longer held the expression of a happy-go-lucky over confident guy. His black hair looked messy and unkept unlike its usual laid down slicked appearance. He looked sad and angry.

"Hi Le" he replied. "I miss you" he said as she nodded. She missed him too, more than he knew. "Help me" he whispered, his voice so low. "I don't belong here anymore, I need to move on, but he won't let me." Riley looked over at Sam who looked just as perplexed but intrigued as she did. "He wants me to hurt you. He wants you die." she tightened up at his words, knowing he meant Andrew the maintenance worker.

"We'll help you" Sam insisted as Conner slowly looked over at Sam, a new look crossing his face. Recognition. And then anger. Full blown anger and hared.

"You guys must stop him" Conner said, his voice off, like he were fighting voices in his head, his body making weird movements as if he were possession. "I love you" he told Riley. She started to reply but Conner's hand was in her chest. She gasped, her whole body going cold as she struggled to remain conscious.

Just as her mind started to blank and her body go limp the pain was gone and she found herself on the floor. Sam helped her, but her legs instantly gave way so he resorted to scooping her up in his arms. "Dean!" he shouted as Conner's ghost reappeared. Riley tuned in just in time to see Dean had a rifle in his hands. Bullets killed ghosts? she wondered stupidly. Bang! Dean shot the gun, the ghost disappearing but quickly reappearing seconds later, but Dean shot again, three times time.

"Go!" he shouted as Sam ran out, no so carefully tossing Riley in the back. Dean came out next, shooting the gun once more before pulling out a bottle. Riley wondered if it was salt, it looked white. She watched as he sprinkled a line of it on in the doorway. He quickly shoved it in his pocket and ran to the car, handing Sam the gun before stepping on the gas.

"Riley, talk to me" Dean shouted, his voice rough and lined with concern.

"Wha...what..."

"Okay, good, hold on, you hear me?" he said as Riley nodded but her mind drifted as she felt herself pass out.

"Riley!" she jerked up, just as she felt her face and clothes being splashed with water. "Riley!" now she was being shaken.

"Stop" she spoke up, her whole body throbbing in pain. She opened her eyes, rubbing her face as she looked from Sam to Dean, her head ready to burst at the most recent events.

"Come on, we gotta go" he said as she shook her head.

"I'm not ready."

"We don't have time for you to gather yourself together, that salt won't hold him long, especially since we have the toys" Dean explained. Sam started to protest but Riley shook her head and stood up. Dean was right. Besides, Conner wanted out. He wanted to move on. She had to give that to him.

"Okay" she said bravely as reached for Sam, him pulling her to her feet. "Is there a place to change first?" she asked as Dean and Sam looked at each other.

"We might have to be a little unconventional with that" Sam said, not sure if she liked his answer. "We can't open the bag but we do have some clothes.

"You're the size of big foot, your clothes won't fit" she snorted, not meaning to be so hard.

"I know, but, Dean's might" Sam said showing no emotion to her comment.

"Plus, I found these" Dean said pulling out a pair of jeans.

"Ew, no thank you" she said not feeling the least bit comfortable wearing a pair of jeans they just happen to find.

"They fit okay? So, come on, chop chop" he said tossing her the jeans and a button up green flannel shirt.

"Where am I supposed to go?" she asked, but looking around it was obvious the place was pretty deserted, plus, it was still dark-ish.

"We promise not to look" Dean told her. With great reluctance but desire to save her boyfriend's soul she quickly changed, singing a Tesla song out loud to keep herself distracted, Dean bobbing his head along.

"Done" she said when she finally buttoned the last one. She knew how awkward the outfit looked, but like Dean said, they didn't have much time.

"Awesome" Dean replied as they all got back in the car. "Now, I know that was hard back there and I understand if you want to sit this-"

"Go" Riley interrupted, the right thing to do overpowering her emotional need to be away from this messed up situation.

"Alright" Dean said as he started the car and they drove in silence back to the apartment. "Here we go" he said parking on the opposite street of the apartment. "This shouldn't be too hard, we're already halfway done" he told Riley as they got out, Riley following the two to the trunk. "But, our lives are never that easy, so, in case things get difficult..." he trailed off to open the trunk, a whole arsenal of weapons neatly placed inside.

"Holy shit" Riley whispered, for some reason stunned that this really was their life. "Where...what..." she trailed off, not sure what question she should even be asking.

"Here, put this on" Sam said handing her a necklace.

"It's for protection, so you don't get possessed" Dean explained, showing her his tattoo. She nodded, going purely on their word. Any logical thoughts she had about the last twenty four hours were completely squashed. This was their world, she couldn't fight them on anything.

Sam handed over the rifle Dean had been using and Dean reloaded it. "Rock salt, it doesn't kill a ghost, but buys you time" he explained as Sam picked up another rifle and loaded it.

"Do I get one?" Riley asked, but she already knew the answer. As if to confirm it, Dean laughed and closed the trunk. "Do I get anything?" she asked, a little discouraged and annoyed she wasn't going in armed.

"You get to not be handcuffed to the steering wheel of my car" Dean answered as he reached in the back and pulled out the bag. For some reason Riley didn't respond, she had a suspecting feeling that Dean had indeed handcuffed people to the steering wheel of the car to prevent themselves from being in the way. But did that mean he didn't think Riley was useless?

Dean nodded and the three of them started for the basement of the cursed apartment. The whole building was off limits and no one had lived there, but at least now she knew why. The real reason, not the bullshit the landlord told her. "Riley?" Sam said slowing her down to keep step with him. "Are you sure you wanna do this?" he asked as Riley nodded. "Okay, but, listen to me, revenge isn't the reason I want you to see this."

"It's not" she told him, her response surprising him. "You heard Conner. He's suffering. Just like the little boy and his father. They needs our help." she told him as he nodded.

"I won't lie to you, it won't be easy letting go and there is a chance at the last minute he'll get cold feet. We'll help him, but you can't stop us" he explained as Riley slowly let it sink in what he meant. Conner could easily convince her to let him stay and she could easily get in the way, trying to prevent Sam and Dean from attacking, all the while Conner could easily kill all of them.

"Okay" she replied as she moved to keep up with Dean, though the two of them not exchanging any words.

Inside, Sam and Dean turned on their flashlights, aiming their guns, one walking ahead of Riley, the other behind her. At least she knew they really had her best interest at heart, they really did plan to protect her.

"Keep going, you should see some pipes just up ahead" Sam directed as they kept moving. Sure enough, a short while later, the found themselves surrounded by the plumbing system.

"It's too quiet" Riley noticed. That was how all the horror movies went. Right as it got quiet and everyone seemed safe there was an attack and at least one character died.

"Yeah, I mean, I wasn't looking for a marching band but, a little drip drip would've nice" Dean commented.

"Wait, wait" Sam hissed, moving over to the left. He pointed his flashlight up, careful not to touch the remainder of the rope.

"That's where...you know?" Riley asked as both Sam and Dean nodded.

"Alright, give me the bag" Sam said as Dean handed it over, Sam dumping the contents out, moving the bear and toy away from the rest of the stuff. He took out some salt, creating a circle around the two objects. He looked from Dean to Riley and nodded. Riley could feel her heart beating, it was practically ready to burst out of her chest. The anticipation was the real killer.

Her eyes were glued to Sam taking out his lighter but then she saw him. Conner. Again. "Sam!" she shouted as Conner attacked him, the lighter flying out of Sam's hands and skidding across the floor. Conner and Sam fought, at least until Dean shot off a bullet, Conner disappearing. But then in a flash, he reappeared, this time smashing Dean into a wall so hard it took Dean a second to get his bearings. Sam fired this time but missed. "Conner! Stop!" Riley shouted, but this time when he looked at her, she saw nothing familiar about him. The brothers were right, this was no longer Conner. Just a spirit possessing his body.

Still, it didn't prevent him from coming at her, Sam shot a bullet at him. For a second, it was still, no one moved and all was quiet. Dean looked around, flashing the light everywhere to find the lighter, but gave up, pulling out his own lighter. "Everyone alright?" he asked as Riley nodded. She was okay, shaken, but okay. Sam nodded too, but he was rubbing his head. Dean winched as he stood up, flicking the lighter but almost as expected he was swung backwards, an invisible force sending him to the other side of the room, and then doing the same to Sam. Then, the ghost appeared again, but this time it wasn't alone. It looked like Conner, but he looked all weird, like the monster of Frankenstein. His body and face were all different. His eyes looked too small, almost like a child's.

Riley let out a gasp, realizing he was a mutated version of all the souls the maintenance worker took. They were all trapped. The body split, one part going over to Sam and slamming him the ground repeatedly. The other side held Dean up by the throat. They were both dying. The vengeful spirit was killing them. Panic started to rise but then Riley saw that she was her chance to help. This monster wasn't attacking her? Did it underestimate her? Did it not realize she was there? Not willing to find an answer she moved quick, grabbing Dean's fallen lighter and moving over to the toys. "Hey!" she shouted as the monster turned to look at her, but didn't stop from hurting Sam or Dean. "You've taken enough people with you, I know you hurt, but you can't hurt others. Let them go" she told him, though she figured reasoning wasn't exactly what the ghost wanted.

It fully turned around, watching as Riley set the toys on fire. But then it did something strange. It smirked. "Riley! Run!" Sam shouted at her as the ghost let go of the boys and started moving toward her.

"I'm not as stupid as you think" she told the ghost who stopped. "You may have cursed the toys, but your DNA isn't there" she whispered as she held the lighter up, it touching the rope that was still tied to the pipes. "But it is here" she said as she backed up, the ghost rushing forward but screaming in agony as it started to crumble. The boys were quick to grab Riley, pulling her down the hall and outside. But instead of running to the car, Sam pushed Riley against the brick and stone foundation, covering her as Dean crouched next to them, the explosion shooting out the opening. The blast so hot and close Riley could feel herself sweating.

"Come on," Dean said seconds later, the three of them rushing to the car. "Get in" he said, nearly pushing Riley in the car as him and Sam scrambled to the front. Dean hit the gas and speed off. Riley looked over her shoulder, watching nearby lights coming on.

"Thank you" Sam said a while later.

"Yeah" Riley responded, trying to let it sink in what exactly she did and what exactly it meant. But she didn't say anything, just stared out the window as Dean drove, music quietly playing from the radio.

They pulled up to a diner two and half hours later. It took Riley a long minute to get out of the car. She had to make a phone call first. When she went in to join the boys at the table they went quiet. "If you're talking about how I'm holding up, don't. I'm fine. I swear" she told them but obviously they didn't look convinced.

"We don't expect you to be okay-"

"Are werewolves real?" she interrupted. The boys looked at each other but didn't answer so she asked again.

"What makes you think that?" Dean asked.

"I wanna help again" she insisted and before Dean could ask she opened the newspaper. It wasn't a local story but it made local news. A ten year old and his family were walking home from the movies, they were attacked by an animal. The child was killed first, a brutal animal attack the article read. But not enough details, not enough to sound believable, not after tonight. Not to mention, the article went on to talk about how it was the eighth animal attack in the last few days. "I'm not trying to be a hero, but, that look Conner gave me, that boy gave me, the father, right before they blew up..." she paused to wipe the tears. "We saved them. I want to save people. I want to hunt monsters." she told them. She knew she was asking a lot, hell, she was asking for the impossible.

"Okay" Dean said as Sam and Riley both responded with surprised whats.

"Dean, are you crazy?" Sam hissed.

"You knew your stuff, you got rid of the ghost, you stayed level headed and focused, you saved our asses" Dean explained, looking at Sam. "We can teach her the right way, you know as well as I do there's two many idiotic hunters out there going about this the wrong way and for the wrong reasons, she's not doing it for revenge" Dean said but Sam's sour expression didn't let up.

"No" he told her and then looked at Dean. "No" he repeated.

"We'll practice shooting this weekend" Dean countered.

"Sam, I can help. And c'mon, Dean's right, I saved you" she told him as Sam sighed and shook his head.

"Fine we'll try. We'll give you two weeks with us and then you go back home" he instructed as Riley tried not to smile to broadly.

"We'll take the rest of this to go" Dean told the waitress as he tossed down some cash and Sam gathered extra napkins. "Congratulations newbie, you get to buy the first round of gas" he added as Riley smiled, happy to be filling a classic.


End file.
